Collector for sheets of paper



Nov. 20, 1934.

l. GURWICK COLLECTOR FOR SHEETS OF PAPER Filed Oct. 51, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 EN TOR. //'f l //V6' 60/ 714 0% 4 ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 20, 1934. l. 'GURWICK COLLECTOR FOR SHEETS OF PAPER Filed Oct. 31, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Nov. 20, 1934.

l. GURWICK COLLECTOR FOR SHEETS OF PAPER Filed Oct. 51, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. //?l //V Gwwwc/r ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 20, 1934 PATENT OFFICE COLLECTOR FOR SHEETS OF PAPER Irving Gurwick, New York, N. Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Shellmar Products Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application October 31, 1930, Serial No. 492,439

34 Claims.

This invention relates to a collector for stacking sheets of paper, and more particularly to such apparatus arranged to act as a delivery from a cutting machine.

Considerable difficulty is experienced in providing suitable apparatus for collecting and stacking sheets of paper. It has been attempted to obtain the desired result by the use of rapidly moving gripper fingers which seize the successive sheets and move them to a common discharge point where the fingers open, but such an arrangement, as well as numerous other schemes which generically involve mechanical movements for operation upon each of the successive sheets, have not proven successful because of the adhesion of the sheets to the gripper fingers and, when high speed operation is attempted, because of the inertia of the various moving parts and the rapid wear thereof. One object of the present invention is to overcome the foregoing difficulties and to devise a collector or stacking machine which will be capable of exceedingly high speed operation, and which will operate successfully upon a very light or thin sheet of paper, all without the use of gripper fingers or other mechanical movements of a similar nature. To this end, I have found it possible to employ simple, open hooks which may be moved rapidly in the direction of the closed ends of the hooks, and in which the successive sheets of paper may be fed. Thev sheets are moved with the hooks by reason of their frictional engagement therewith, until they are intercepted by fixed stop means which strips the sheets from the hooks in approximately superposed relation. The simplicity and absence of rapidly moving parts in such an arrangement permit the machine to be operated at exceedingly high rates of speed.

Sheets of paper are ordinarily cut from a continuously moving web. If the sheets are to be printed, the printing is preferably impressed on the moving web, and the individual sheets are subsequently cut from the web. A further object of my invention is to so design the present collec- I tor that it may act directly as a delivery for the cutting machine, so that the successive sheets are taken from the cutting machine and fed to the collector and finally stacked in the desired manner. To accomplish this, I provide transfer means between the cutting machine and the collector per se. This transfer means includes upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact, and which come into contact at a point adjacent the cutter, so that each sheet being cut thereby comes between the tapes. The open ended hooks of the collector are preferably arranged on endless chains whichextend beyond the lower tapes. The tapes .are run at a linear speed greater than that of the chains, sothat the sheets of paper transferred thereby. from the cutter tend to gain on the moving hooks and are fed into the same. The chains are driven in propersynohronism with the cutter, so that one hook is presented for ach sheet which. is cut.

The sheets are then moved with the hooks until intercepted by the stop means, and thereby stripped therefrom. In accordance with a further object of the present invention provision is made for insuring sufficient frictional contact between the sheets and the hooks, and this is done by extending the upper tapes in parallel relation to the hook bearing chains, but depressing the surface of the tapes relative to thesurface of the hooks, so that the sheets are pressed against the surface of the hooks by the tapes. This increases the frictional contact between the sheets and hooks, and thereby makes the movement of the sheets fairly positive without, however, increasing the same enough to interfere with the smooth and facile removal of the sheets from the hooks by the fixed stop means.

The sheets may vary in size, the dimension thereof being dependent upon the relative speeds of the continuously moving web of paper and the cutter, the variable factor ordinarily being the speed of the web. The transfer tapes move more rapidly than the web, even when cutting the largest size of sheet. The sheet begins to move in the transfer tapes when it is freedfrom the web by completion of the cutting stroke, and it therefore follows that the trailing edge of the sheet is. always in synchronism with the cutter, regardless of the size of the sheet, whereas the position of the leading edge of the sheet varies in accordance with the size of the sheet. However, it is the leading edge which mustbe ,fed into the open ended hooksby thetransfer tapes, and it therefore follows that changes in the size of sheet will interfere with the desired synchronousoperation of the machine. A further object of this invention is to surmount this difficulty and to so arrange the machine that it will successfully stack sheets of paper directly from the cutting machine, regardlessof the size of sheet. To this end, the machine is-provided with means permitting longitudinal adjustment of the hooks relative to the rotative'orangular position of the cutter, and by utilizing this adjustment the hooks may be properly positioned relative to any fixed position of the cutter for any particular.

sheets.

thcrebotween when boxing the sheets.

size 01 sheet so that the leading edge of the said size of sheet will be properly fed into the open end of the corresponding hook.

The present collector is suitable for the stacking of almost any type of paper, but is particularly designed to meet the especially difficult conditions which are encountered when attempting to stack a transparent paper such as that known in the trade as Cellophane, which is exceedingly flimsy and light, and which has a great tendency to curl. -When handling sheets of paper of this nature; it is not feasible to strip the same from the moving hooks and thereafter permit the same to drop for an appreciable distance into a magazine or the like, because the sheet is apt to/fall slowly and curl up on the way. that this kind of paper may be successfully handled only by depositing the same directly upon a supporting surface located immediately subjacent the moving hooks. Accordingly, I stack the sheets either in a special magazine, the bottom of which consists of a moving surface which is fed downwardly'as the sheets are deposited thereon, so that the uppermost sheet is always located quite close to the moving hooks; or on a wide endless belt located immediately subjacent the chains, which belt is moved slowly in a direction transverse to that of the chains, so that the sheets are not truly superposed, but rather are stepped or left in riflled formation. Large'groups of these sheets may then be picked up manually and brought into true superposition.

The tendency of the paper to curl may evi* dence itself in another manner. Assume, for example, that the web is of such width that, although supported on the hooks of several intermediate chains, the ends thereof come just inside of the next chains. In such case the ends of each sheet willtend to droop or curl, and this will interfere with the satisfactory operation ofthe machine, for, as was above explained, the supporting surface ,on which the sheets are deposited is located close to the chains. In accordance with another object and further feature of the present invention. a side to side adjustment of the chains relative to the consynchronism with the moving chains. so that each sheet is brushed or wiped downwardly against the supporting surface at the instant that it reaches the stop means.

The finished sheets are boxed when delivered to the purchaser. and it is customary to indicate the count or number of sheets by the use of a marker or colored sheet of paper inserted between successive groups of, say, fifty or one hundred Accordingly, still another object of my invention is to arrange the machine so as to indicate the number of sheets deposited on the slowly moving belt, so that the markers may be inserted This object I- fulfil by making the previously mentioned stop a movable or reciprocable member, rather than a truly fixed member. The stop is reciprocatcd in proper timed relation to the operation of the entire machine, so that the sheets deposited I have found on the belt are staggered in any desired echelon formation which will clearly indicate to the attendant the successive groups of sheets of desired number.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the collector elements and their relation one to the other as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of collector;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

- Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane of the line as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail of the open ended hooks;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a collector having a magazine instead of a moving belt; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the magazine shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 and 2, the complete delivery mechanism is shown in combination with a cutting 'machine A, the sheets discharged from which are transferred by transfer means indicated generally at B to collector or stacking means indicated generally at C.

The collector or stacking means C comprises a plurality of endless chains 12 in collateral juxtaposition and which are driven in synchronism by sprockets 14 mounted on a common shaft 16. Each chain is provided with a plurality of spaced hooks 18 which are preferably uniformly spaced at a distance substantially greater than the largest size of sheet to be accommodated by the machine. These hooks 18 are most clearly shown in Fig. 4, and inspection of that figure shows that the trailing ends of the hooks are open and preferably rounded, as at 20, while the main surface of the hook 22 is relatively long and straight. The hooks may be-attached to the chain 12 in any desired manner, here exemplified by substituting the side plates of the hook members for the corresponding links of the chain. The sprockets 14 are-rotated counter clockwise, as viewed in Fig, 1, so that the hook members 18 are moved with their closed ends leading and their'open ends trailing. It will be evident that sheets of paper fed into the open ends of the hook members will be supported thereby and will tend to move with the same, yet may readily be arrested from further movement by the interposition of any suitable stop means.

Such a stop means is indicated by the horizontal bar 24 which extends transversely of ,the chains beneath the same, and which is provided with a plurality of upstanding fingers 26 which project upwardly between the hook members 18, as is.

the sheets of paper are properly fed into the open 1 ends of the hooks. This feed is accomplished by the transfer means indicated generally at B, and inasmuch as the transfer means B also serve to deliver the sheets of paper from the cutting machine A, the operation thereof is best described in is i conjunction with both the cutting machine A and the stacking mechanism 0.

The complete mechanism A may, and ordinarily will, include appropriate printing mechanism for impressing any desired legend on the surface of the paper, and appropriate drying mechanism for insuring rapid drying of the printed impression before the sheets are supplied to the stacking machine, and when operating upon transparent paper such as Cellophane, the printing and drying mechanism is preferablyof the type set forth in my prior copending application Ser. No. 361,584, filed May 9, 1929. In the present case, only the final, or cutting portion of the machine is indicated, this receiving a continuous- 1y moving web of paper which passes between feed and pressure rollers 42 and 44, respectively, which feed the web to the cutter. The rollers 42 and 44 are driven from a main power driven shaft 46 through gears 48, 50, and 52.

The cutter consists of a fixed blade 54, and a rotary knife 56 here indicated as carrying a pair of movable blades 58. The rotary knife 56 is also driven from the power input shaft 46, through mitre gears 60, shaft 62, and helical gears 64, best shown in Fig. 2. It will be evident that the positive gear relation between the web feeding rollers 42, 44, and the knife 56 determines the relative speeds of the web 40 and the cuts of the knife 56, and therefore determines the size of the sheet being cut. This size may be varied, by varying the said relative speeds, and this is preferably and most readily accomplished by changing the linear speed of the web, as by properly selecting the gear ratio between gears 48 and 52, and then appropriately moving the idler gear 50 into mesh therewith. It should be understood that in any event the peripheral speed of the knife must always exceed the linear speed of the web in order to prevent tearing of the web, or, differently expressed, in order to retain a cutting component of motion. Those versed in the art will appreciate that the knives 58 are preferably curved in a manner permitting continuous movement of the web 40, while resulting in a straight line transverse cut. It will also be understood that a rotary shear or movable guillotine knife may be employed in place of the rotary knife 56, while still using a continuously moving web of paper.

The transfer mechanism B comprises a plurality of lower tapes and an equal number of upper tapes 72 which are endless and arranged to run with their adjacent surfaces in contact. The point of meeting of the tapes is near the discharge point of the cutting machine A, and so positioned that the sheet being cut tends to be drawn between the tapes. The frictional contact between the tapes is made suflicient to move the detached sheets of paper, but insufiicient to move the same against any restraining force, such as exists when the sheet is only partially cut, and the transfer tapes therefore have no tendency to tear the paper. As is evident from the drawing, particularly Fig. 1, the tapes 70 project beyond the tapes '72 in order to provide a receiving portion '74 on which the end of the web of paper rests during the cutting operation, and by which the paper is guided directly between the tapes. The tapes '70 and 72 are each trained around idier wheels 76 mounted on arms '78 which in turn are mounted on transverse supporting shafts 80, thereby resulting in a system of guides which permits the tapes to be brought close to the cutting machine A, and which, at the same time, permits of adjustment of the tension of the tapes and the pressure therebetween so as to insure proper synchronous movement thereof. The upper portion of the lower tapes 70 rests upon and moves over a supporting plate 82, which prevents sagging of the tapes, keeps the same in horizontal. alignment, and insures proper fric tional contact between the upper face of the lower tapes 70 and the lower face of the upper tapes '72.

The ends of the tapes '70 remote from the cutter are trained over and are driven by pulleys 84 mounted on a shaft 86 which is driven through gears 88 and 90 by an intermediate shaft 92 which is itself driven through mitre gears 94 by a longitudinal shaft 96 which is directly connected to and rotated by the shaft 62 of the cutting machine. It will be noted that shaft 86 is located beyond the bends 98 of the endless chains 12in order to provide overlapping portions in which the sheets transferred by the tapes are fed into the open ended hooks 18 on the endless chains 12. However, it should also be noticed that the overlapping of the tapes 70 relative to the chains 12 is only partial, or, in other words, that the chains 12 extend beyond the tapes '70, thereby providing a portion of the collector mechanism C in which the sheets are supported by the hooks 18 from which they are readily stripped and deposited upon any suitable supporting or receiving surface, such as the wide endless belt 32 shown in Figs. 1-41 or the vertical y movable magazine shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The upper tapes 72 might also be terminated about at the point where the lower tapes 70 are terminated, but, for a number of important reasons, it is preferred to extend the same for the full length of the collector mechanism C. Thus, in the particular modification here shown, the tapes 72 are trained over pulleys 100 which are mounted on the same shaft 16 as the sprocket wheels 14 which drive the endless chains 12. The tapes and chains are preferably arranged alternately and in relatively close juxtaposition, so that a variety of widths of web, or sheets of paper, may be accommodated.

Inasmuch as the hooks 18 on the chains 12 are in constant movement, it follows that the tapes 70 and 72 must move at a more rapid linear speed than the chains 12 if the sheets transferred by the tapes are to be fed into the open ends of the hooks 18. This increased speed of the tapes is made sufficient for the sheets of paper to gain on the hooks by an amount approximately equal to the length of the hooks in a distance approximately equal to the overlapping of the tapes 70 and the chains 12. The tapes 70 are given the desired increased speed by suitable adjustment of the ratio of the gear train between the longitudinal shaft 96 and the transverse shaft 86, relative to that between the longitudinal shaft 96 and the transverse shaft 16, taking into account, in each case, the diametrical. or circumferential relation between the pulleys 84 and the sprockets 14'. The tapes '72, if driven by an independent shaft, may similarly be properly geared to run at the same speed as the tapes '70, and at a faster speed than the chains 12. In the present case, in which the tapes '72 are driven from the same shaft 16 as the sprockets 14, the desired result is most simply obtained by making the pulleys 100, by which the tapes '72 are .size of sheet.

It is evident that the hooks 18 must be driven in proper synchronous relation to the cutting machine, so that a hook will be provided for receiving each sheet which is cut. It is therefore highly desirable that the entire collector mechanism C be driven in positive gear relation to the, cutting machine A, and to this end the longitudinal shaft 96 of the collector mechanism C is connected directly to the longitudinal shaft 62 of the cutting machine A, and in fact, except for the provision of a certain adjustment subsequently described, a single longitudinal shaft in place of the separate shafts 62 and 96 may well be employed. It has previously been mentioned that the rotary knife 56 is driven from the shaft 62 through helical gears 64, and the transverse shaft 16 of the collector is driven from the longitudinal shaft 96, or the shaft 62, through the helical gears 102. The hooks 18 are so spaced on the chains 12 that the hooks run in one for one synchronism with the operation of the cutter. Incidentally, as was previous observed, the spacing of the hooks must be suflicient to accommodate the largest sheet of paper to be worked upon, and this in turn defines the desirable diameter for the sprockets 14.

It is necessary not only that a hook 18 be presented for each sheet cut, but also that the hook be properly located to meet the leading edge of the sheet of paper. A sheet, when being cut,,is already engaged by the transfer tapes, but the latter do, not succeed in moving the sheet until the, cut is completed. It therefore follows that the departure of the trailing edge of each sheet is in synchronism with the operation of the collector, regardless of the size of the sheet, whereas the successful feed of the sheets into the open ended hooks depends upon the position of the leading edgeof the sheet, which in turn varies directly with the size of the sheet. An adjustment or change in synchronism-between the collector and the cutting machine is therefore necessary when the size of sheet being cut is changed. This change in synchronism may be accomplished by releasing either of the helical gears 102, as by lock means 104, and then rotating the shaft 16 in order to move the hooks 13 an amount'sufiicient to take care of the change in Because of the inclusion of certain additional wiper mechanism on the collector which has not yet been described, it may be preferable to accomplish this change in synchronism of the collector and cutting machine with refer ence to the entire collector, rather than merely with reference vto the shaft 16, and in such case the lock means 166, located anywhere between shaft 62 and shaft 96, as on the universal joints, as shown, may be released, and the desired, adjustment obtained. Simple set screws, rather than adjustable couplings, are indicated for simplicity.

The collector is preferably provided with means for increasing the frictional relation between the sheets and the open ended hooks 18 so as to insure proper movement ofthe sheets with the hooks. Attempts to use gripper fingers and the like result in a highly complex machine the operation of which is unsuccessful and incapable of high speeds. In the present case the desired increased friction is obtained in an exceedingly simple manner by utilization of the upper tapes '72 of the transfer mechanism B. These tapes are extended for the full length of the chains 12 and are preferably depressed relative to the upper faces of the hooks so as to tend to bear the tained in direct consequence of the increased di-' ameter of the pulleys 100 by which the tapes 72 are driven. The tapes '72 move along with the hooks, and in fact somewhat faster than the same, and therefore tend to keep the sheets of paper in the hooks and against the supporting surfaces of the same. Referring to Fig. 4, the sheet 28 is held against the upper face 22 of the hook 18 by the tapes 72, and the movement of the latter tends, also, to keep the leading edge of the sheet 28 against the closed end of thehook. It may also be pointed out that longitudinal rails 110 are located beneath the chains 12 andbetween the side walls of the hooks, and provide an accurate guide for insuring smooth rectilinear movement of the hooks and for preventing sag of the chains. The tapes 72 are not run upon such a support and therefore may sag slightly, and this sag tends to keep the sheets in close contact with the hooks.

When the sheets of paper are exceedingly thin, and particularly when dealing with a transparent paper such as Cellophane, there is a tendency for the paper to curl or droop. This may prove troublesome in itself, and may prove additionally troublesome when the sheets are to be drawn over and deposited on a supporting surface which is close to the path of the chains. The suppcrting surface in turn is necessarily close to the chains because any appreciable drop therebetween willpermit the sheets to curl during their fall. In the present machine a considerable number of tapes and chains are provided so as to provide a good support for these sheets. However, a situation may arise in which the sheets fed to the chains are of such width that the side edges of the sheets project beyond the inter- ,justment of the chains relative to the web of paper leaving the cutting machine, and in this manner the chains may be most advantageously located with respect to the web so as to make the projection of the sheets either nothing, or a minimum which is symmetrically distributed between both sides of the sheets. I find it convenient, instead of moving the chains per se, to move the entire assemblage of chains and tapes, and the manner in which this is accomplished is clearly shown in the drawings. Thus, the collector and transfer tape assembly is mounted upon a frame 112 which is movable on rails 113 laterally with respect to the fixed frame 114 on which the movable frame 112 and the fixed frame 116 of the. cutting machine are both mounted. A hand wheel 118 is provided for this adjustment, and rotation of the hand wheel moves one end of the movable frame 112 by means of a threaded that t 120. At the same time, a similarly threaded shaft 122 is rotated in synchronism with the shaft 120 by means of mitre gears 124, longitudinal shaft 126, and mitre gears 128. All of the various shafts, pulleys, sprocket wheels, tapes, chains, and guide members etc., of the transfer and collector mechanism, are moved together with the frame 112 by the hand wheel 118, and this, movement is permitted without interrupting the mechanical drive of the collector, by the provision of universal joints 130 and a connecting shaft 132.,

In the preferred form of machine, as is illusthe belt.

trated in Figs. 1-4, the sheets are deposited upon a supporting surface which, instead of being stationary, is itself movable, and which takes the form of a wide belt 32 which is slowly moved in a direction transverse to that of the tapes and chains. The sheets are stripped from the hooks by the fixed stops 26, and deposited directly upon the belt. The belt is driven by a roller 134 which in turn is driven from the longitudinal shaft 96. as by the gearing indicated generally at 136 in Fig. 3. The resulting stacking operation, instead of placing the sheets in exact superposition, places them only in approximate superposition, each sheet projecting very slightly beyond the preceding sheet, due to the interim movement of The belt is extended at the end 138, (see Figs. 2 and 3) for a considerable distance beyond the side of the machine, and at the remote end thereof an operator may manually collect the sheets in large handfuls and brings the same into true stacked relation by simply turning these handfuls on edge. Because of the exceedingly slow movement of the belt 32, this manual operation may be performed in a relatively leisurely manner, and, by making the belt fairly long, a considerable time interval may elapse between the necessary attention of the operation.

The use of a collector belt, such as the belt 32, has an important advantage in making it possible to readily provide for counting of the sheets, or grouping the same with markers therebetween. For this purpose the stops 26, instead of being made fixed, are made movable, and means is provided to reciprocate the same in desired relation to the count of the sheets, so that the staggered relation of the sheets on the belt will serve as an indication to the operator of the proper points at which to insert marking sheets. Such means is here exemplified by mounting the ends of the stop bar 24 on depending arms 140, which are pivoted at 141, and the upper ends of which carry a follower 142 which cooperates with a cam 144. In the present case the cams take the form of a simple spiral with an abrupt return. and this results in the stops being given a gradual movement for a number of sheets which is determined by the gear reduction between the shaft 96 and the cam shaft 146. At the end of the desired count the stops are moved suddenly back to their initial position, and the count begins over again. The operator picks up the sheets in handfuls which are defined by the breaks in the zigzag edge of the sheets on the belt, and may insert marking sheets between such successive handfuls.

The drive of the cam shaft 146 is most clearly shown in Fig. 3, and consists of a pinion 148 on longitudinal shaft 96, which pinion meshes with a gear 150 which in turn drives a worm 152 meshing with a worm gear 154 on the cam shaft 146. In passing, it may be remarked that the position of the stops 26, or the mean position of the same, if the counting mechanism is employed, may be varied to accommodate any large differences in the size of sheet being handled, by moving the entire stop mechanism, mounted on brackets 156, relative to the frame 112, by releasing the nuts 158, as is best shown in Fig. 2. A corresponding movement of pinion 148 on shaft 96 is permitted by suitable spline connection.

To insure positive discharge of the sheets from the hooks by the stop means, the collector may, if desired, be additionally provided with means to wipe the sheets downwardly against the supporting surface at the time the sheets reach the stop means. Such wiper means have been indicated in the present case, but it should be understood that they are not essential to the operation of the machine. Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the wipers are numbered 160 and are mounted for rotation on a shaft 162. The shaft 162 is driven through mitre gears 164 by a pinion 166 meshing with the pinion 148 (Figs. 2 and 3) previously mentioned as also being in mesh with the gear 150 (omitted in Fig. 2) of the counter. The gear relation is so selected that the wipers make a single revolution for each set of hooks arriving at the stop, and the time sequence of the operation is such that the sheet is brushed downwardly by the wiper as the sheet reaches the stop, thereby aiding the operation of stripping the sheets. I

In Figs. 5 and 6 .there is disclosed the substitu tion of a vertically movable magazine for the endless belt previously described as receiving the stripped sheets. This magazine comprises a supporting surface 1'70 which is supported by pinions 172 meshing in fixed racks 174. The pinions 1'72 may be rotated by mitre gears 176 which are in turn rotated by mitre gears 1'78 and 180, of which the gear 180 is splined to the vertical shaft 182. The latter in turn is rotated by mitre gears 184 which are actuated by a ratchet 186 moved 'by a pawl 188, pivoted on the shaft of ratchet 186, which is itself moved by a crank 190 driven by worm gear 192 meshing with a worm 194 mounted on the longitudinal shaft 96 of the collector. The mitre gears 184 may also be actuated manually by a crank 196 in order to adjust the position of supporting surface 1'70 at will. With this arrangement it will be evident that the supporting surface may be initially set to be closely subjacent the chains 12, and that as the sheets are deposited on the supporting surface, the supporting surface is lowered, thereby making room for the additional sheets. The rate of movement of the supporting surface may be varied by changing the effective radius of the crank 190, in slot 191.

The mode of constructing and operating the collector or stacking machine of my invention, and the many advantages thereof, will, it is thought, be apparent from the foregoing detail,

description thereof. In operation, the continuously moving web of paper in the printing or/ and cutting machine A is cut into successive sheets, and these sheets, at the termination of the cutting stroke, are immediately moved by the transfer tapes '70 and 72 into the open ends of the moving hooks 18 on the chains 12. When the sheets are fully engaged in the hooks, they leave the influence of the lower tapes and are moved by the hooks, aided by the continued mo ement of the upper tapes. The sheets are ther y carried over any "suitable form of supporting surface, and at a' desired point fixed stop means intercept the sheets and'strip the same directly from the hooks, thereby depositing them on the supporting surface. If desired, the supporting surface may itself be a slowly moving surface or belt, in which case the sheets will be rifiled, rather y than exactly superposed. Furthermore, the stop Justment of the receiving position of the hooks relative to the rotative position of the knife may be necessary. The sheets may vary in length over a wide range, the present machine being adapted, for example, to accommodate sheets between one and one-half, and eighteen inches in length. Exactly the samepr inciples. may be followed when designing a machine for handling still larger sheets, it being onlynecessary to substantiallyincrease the length of the open ended hooks so as ,to provide a proportionate support for thesheets, and, of course, to adjust the transfer tapes to feed the sheets entirely into the longer hooks. The width of the web being handled may similarly be varied over wide range, because; of the use of the. considerable number ofrelatively closely adjacent tapes and chains.

The slight droop of the sheets which might be caused by the edges thereof overhanging the nearest usefullyemployed hooks, may be reduced to a minimum by-adjusting' the chains or the entire assemblageof chains and tapes from side to side relative to-the position of the web.

This machine is exceedingly smooth and quiet in operation, and the entire absence of the clatter and noise of machines employing complicated mechanical movements immediately impresses the observer with one of the important reasons why the present machine is capable of extraordinarily high speed operation. There are no grippers or similar devices which might be subject to the inertia of reciprocating parts, and, in fact, when the wipers 160 are omitted, there are no moving parts which act upon the individual sheets at all, and even the wipers are moved by simple rotation in a smooth and inertialess manner.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in the preferred forms, many changes and modifications may be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim: I

1. A collector for sheets of paper, comprising a plurality of open ended hooks, means to move said hooks in'the direction of their closed ends, means to feed the'sheets into the open ends of the hooks, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets in order to strip the same from the hooks.

2. A collector for sheets of paper, comprising an endless carrier provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to move said carrier in the direction of the closed ends of the hooks, means to feed the sheets into the open ends of the hooks, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets during their movement in order to strip the same from the hooks in approximately superposed relation.

3. A collector for sheets of paper, comprising a plurality of endless chains arranged collaterally, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of spaced open ended hooks, means to move said chains in the direction of the closed ends of the hooks, means to feed the sheets into the open ends of the moving hooks, means tending to cause the sheets to move with the hooks, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets during their movement in order to strip the same from the hooks inapproximately superposed relation.

4. A collector for stacking sheets of paper, comprising a lower tape, an upper tape the lower face of which is arranged to run in contact with the upper face of the lower tape, an endless 'of which are arranged to run in contact with the upper faces of, the lower tapes, a plurality of endless chains arranged between said upper tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality'of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a peripheral speed greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to stripthe same from the hooks. 6. A collector for stacking sheets of paper, comprising a plurality of endless lower tapes, a'

plurality of endless upper tapes the lower faces of which are arranged to run in contact with the upper faces of thelower tapes, a plurality of endless chains arranged between said tapes and extendingbeyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of equally spaced open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism. means to run the tapes at a peripheral speed greater than'that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks, and stop means arranged to intercept the leading edges of the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks in approximately superposed relation.

'7. A collector for stacking sheets of paper, comprising a plurality of endless lower tapes, a plurality of endless upper tapes extending beyond the lower tapes and arranged to run in contact therewith, a plurality of endless chains arranged between said-upper tapes and extending. beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a peripheral speed greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby are fed into'the open ends of the moving hooks, said upper tapes being so related to said hook means as to keep the sheets of paper in en gagement with the hook means, and stop means arranged to intercept the leading edges of the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks in approximately superposed relation.

8. The combination with a cutting machine including'means to feed a continuous web of 'paper,

and means to cut the same into successive sheets, of collector means for stacking the sheets of paper, including upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are adjacent the' cutter, an endless chain provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to move the chain, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the chain sothat sheets of paper transferred thereby from the cutter are fed into,

of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless chains arranged between said upper tapes and extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby from the cutter are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks regardless of the size of the sheets, and' stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks in approximately superposed relation.

10. The combination with a cutting machine ineluding means to feed a continuous web of paper,

and means to cut the same into successive sheets the dimension of which is dependent upon the relative speeds of the web and the cutter, of collector means for stacking the sheets of paper, including a plurality of collaterally disposed upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless chains arranged between said upper tapes and extending beyond said lower tapes, each ofintercept the leading edges of the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooksin approximately superposed relation.

11. Collector means for stacking sheets of paper, comprising an endless chain provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to move said chain rapidly in the direction of the closed ends of the hooks, transfer means to feed the sheets into the open ends of the moving hooks, a'

wide belt subjacent the chain, means to move the same relativelyslowly in a,direction transverse to that of the chain, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets in order to strip the same from the hooks and deposit the-same on the slowly moving belt.

12. The combination with a cutting machine, including means to feed a continuousweb of paper, and means to cut the same into successive sheets, of collector means for stacking the sheets of paper, including a plurality of collaterally dis-' posed upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless chains extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the ,chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby from the cutter are fed into the open ends "facesof which are in: contact andxthe' points of ing provided with aplurality of open endedhooks, 130

of the moving hooks, a wide belt subjacent the chains, means to move the same relatively slowly in a direction transverse" to that ofthe chains, and

stop means arranged to intercept the sheets "of paper in orde'r'to stripthe same from the hooks and deposit-the same on theslow'ly moving belt;

13. The combination with acutting machine including -means to feed a COI'ltlIIUOUS'WEbJ'Of paper, and means to cutthe same into successive sheets the dimension of which'is dependentmpon the relativespeeds of the web and the cutten'of collector means for-stacking thesheets of-paper, including a plurality of collaterally disposed upper and lower endless tapesthe adjacent. su'rmeeting of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless ichain's arrangedbetween said upper tapes and] extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being providedwith a plurality of equally sp'aced ,open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism,'-means to run the'tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the moving web and greater-than that of the chains so that sheets of paper'transferred thereby from 'the cutter arefed into the'open of the sheets, said upper tapes being so related'to said hook means as to keep thesheets of paper in engagement with the'hook means, a wideendless belt subjacent the chains, means to move the same relatively slowly in a direction transverse?! to that'of the chains, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper inorder to strip the same'from the hooks and depositthe same on the slowly moving belt. 1 a 14. Collector means for stacking sheets of paper, including an endless chain" provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, meansto move the chain rapidly, transfer means to feed sheets of paper into the open ends of the moving hooks, 1 a-wide belt subjacentthe chain, means to.move the same relatively slowly in a'direction "trans- 'verse' to that of the chain, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets ofcpaper inorder to strip ends of the moving 'hooks'regardless of thesize the same from the hooks and deposit the same go on the moving-belt, and means to indicate-the, number of sheets deposited on the belt.

15. Collector means for stacking sheets ofpaper, including a plurality of collaterally disposedupper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of means to run the chains in synchronism, means, to run the tapes at a linear speedrtgreater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper'transferred thereby are fed intothe'open ends of the moving hooks, a wide belt subjacent the. chains, means tomove the same relatively slo'wlyxin a'dirle'ction transverse to .that of the chainsvtstop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from thehooksland deposit the same on the slowly movingbelt, and means to reciprocate the sto means in predetermined relation to thespee ,of the chains in order to stagger the sheets and thereby indicate the number of sheets deposited on the belt.

l6. The co mbinationwvith a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of paper, and means to'cut the'ssame into successive sheets the dimension of which isdependentupon ill which are in contact and the points of' meeting 'of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless chains arranged between said upper tapes and extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of equally spaced open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the movin web and greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby from the cutter are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks regardless of the size of the sheets, said upper tapes being so related to said hook means as to keep the sheets of paper in frictional engagement with the hook means, a wide endless belt subjacent the chains, means to move the same relatively slowlyin a direction transverse to that of the chains, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks and deposit the same on the slowly moving belt, and means to reciprocate the stop means in predetermined relation to the speed of the chains in order to stagger the sheets and thereby indicate the number of sheets deposited on the belt.

1'1. The combination with a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of paper, and means to cut the same into successive sheets, of collector means for stacking the sheets of paper, including a plurality of endless chains each provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to transfer the sheets of paper from the cutter into the open ends of the moving hooks, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks inapproximately superposedrelation, and means to move the chains from side to side relative to thecontinuous web of paper.

18. The combination with a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of paper, and means to cut the same into successive sheets, OfrOOllGCtOI' means for stacking the sheets of paper, including a plurality of collaterally disposed upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless chains extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby from the cutter are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks in approximately superposed relation, and means tomove the chains from side to side relative to the continuous web of paper so as to advantageously locate the cut sheets of paper on the hooks.

19. The combination with a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of paper, and means to cut the same int'o successive sheets the dimension of which is dependent upon the relequally spaced open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the moving web and greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby from .the cutter are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks regardless of the size of the sheets, said upper tapes being so related to said hook means as to keep the sheets of paper in engagement with the hook means, stop means arranged to intercept the leading edges of the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks in approximately superposed relation, and means to move the entire assembly of tapes and chains from side to side relative to the continuous web of paper so as to advantageously locate the cut sheets of paper on the hooks.

20; The combination with a cutting machine including means tofeed a continuous web of paper, and means'to cut the same into successive sheets, of collector'means for stacking the sheets of paper, including upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are adjacent the cutter, an endless chain provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to move the chain, means-to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the chain so that sheets of paper transferred thereby tend to gain on the moving hooks, means permitting longitudinal adjustment of the hooks relative to the position of the cutter, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks.

21. The combination with a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of paper, and means to cut the same into successive sheets the dimension of which is dependent upon the relative speeds of the weband the cutter, of collector means for stacking the sheets of paper, including a plurality of collaterally disposed upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless chains extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of equally spaced open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that'of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby tend to gain on the moving hooks, means permitting longitudinal adjustment of the hooks relative to the rotative position of the cutter so that the sheets of paper are fed into the open ends of the hooks regardless of the size of the sheets, and stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks in superposed relation.

22. Collector means for stacking sheets of paper including an endless chain provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to move the chain, means to feed sheets of paper into the open ends of the moving hooks, a supporting surface subjacent the chain, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks and deposit them on the supporting surface, and a wiper arranged over the supporting surface and operated in synchronism with the hooks so that each sheet is brushed downwardly against the supporting surface as it reaches the stop means.

23. Collector means for stacking sheets of paper including a plurality of collaterally disposed upper and lower endless transfer tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact, a plurality of the chains, stop means arranged to. intercept the sheets of paper in order /to strip the same from the hooks and/deposit them on the supporting surface, and a plurality of wipers arranged over the supporting surface and 'operated in synchronism with the hooks so thatv each sheet is brushed downwardly against the supporting surface as it reaches the stop means. I

, 24. The combination with a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of paper,

and'means tocut the same intosuccessive sheets the dimension of which is dependent upon the relative speeds of the web and the cutter, of collector means 'for stacking the sheets of paper, including a plurality of collaterally disposed upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are adjacent the cutter, a plurality of endless chains arrangedbetween said upper tapes and extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of equally spaced open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the moving web and greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby from the cutter are fed into the open ends'of the moving hooks regardless of the size of the sheets, said upper tapes being so related to said hook means as to keep the sheets of paper in engagement with' the hook means, a supporting surface subadjacent the chains, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks and deposit them on the supporting surface, and a plurality of wipers arranged between the tapes and chains over the supporting surface and operated in synchronism with; the hooks so that each .sheetis brushed downwardly against the supporting surface as it reaches the stop means.

25. A collector for sheets of paper comprising a plurality of endless chains arranged collaterally, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of spaced open ended hooks, means to move said chains in the direction of the closed ends of the hooks, transfer means to feed the sheets into the open ends of the moving hooks, means tending to cause the sheets to move with the hooks, a.

vertically movable supporting surface subjacent the chains, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets during their movement in order to strip the same from the hooks and deposit them on the supporting surface, and means to move the rality of endless chains extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being, provided with a plurality of open ended;hooks,- means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run,

the tapes at a linear speed-greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby-are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks, said upper tapes being so related to said hook means" as to keep the sheets of paper in engagement-with the hook means, a vertically movable supportingsurface subjacent the chains,

stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order tostrip the same from the hooks anddepOsitth {"on the supporting surface, and means to 'move the surface downwardly as the sheets are deposited thereon. I

-27/Collector means for stacking sheets of paper including a plurality of collaterally disposed upper and lower endless transfer tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact, a plurality of endless chains extending beyond said lower tapes,

each of said chains being provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the chains so that sheets of paper transferred thereby are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks, said upper tapes being-so related to said hook means as to keep the sheets of paper in engagement with the hook means, a vertically movable supporting surface subjacent the chains, stop means arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks and deposit them on the supporting surface, means to move the surface downwardly as the sheets are deposited thereon, and ,a plurality of wipers arranged over the supporting surface and operated in synchronism with the hooks so that each sheet is brushed downwardly against the supporting sur-- face as it reaches the stop means.

face of which is arranged to run in'contact with the upper face of the lower tape, an endless carrier provided with a plurality of h00kS:&11-01 of means to move the carrier, and means to move the tapes at a linear speed greater than that of the carrier so that? sheets of; papertransferre'd L 3 20 hooks, said upper tape extendingbeyond'the lower thereby are fed into the open ends *of the; moving.

tape and in collateral relation to the carrier,

in order to promote and-continue the-desired engagement between the sheets and-theopenmove the carrier in the direction of the closed ends of the hooks, transfer'meanslfor feeding the sheets from 'thecutting machine into the open ends of the moving hooks, and stopmeans arranged to intercept the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks'in approximate ly superposed relation.

'30. The combination'with a. cutting machine I including means to feed a continuous web of paper and means to cut the sameinto successive sheets, of collector means for stacking the sheets of paper, including an endless carrier provided with a plurality of open ended hooks,- means to move the carrier, transfer means for feeding the successive sheets into the open ends of the hooks, and means permitting longitudinal adjustment of the hooks relative to the position of the cutter.

3i. The combination with a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of 110 2B. A collector'for stacking sheets of paper, comprising a lower tape, an upper tape the lower no which are fixedly open at the trailing ends therepaper and means to cut the same into successive sheets, of collector means for stacking the sheets of paper, including an endless carrier provided with a plurality of constantly spaced parallel rows'of open ended hooks, means to move the carrier, transfer means for feeding the successive sheets into the open ends of the hooks, and means permitting a bodily lateral or side to side adjustment of the parallel rows of hooks relative to the web of paper, the spacing between transversely adjacent hooks being unmolested upon side to side adjustment of said parallel rows of hooks.

32. The combination with a cutting machine including means to feed a continuous web of paper and means to cut the same into successive sheets, of collector. means including constantly spaced parallel pairs of upper and lower endless tapes the adjacent surfaces of which are in contact and the points of meeting of which are near the cutter, means to drive the tapes, and means permitting a bodily lateral or side to side adjustment of all of the tapes as a unit relative to the web of paper.

33. A collector for stacking sheets of paper, comprising a plurality of endless lower tapes, a plurality of endless upper tapes extending beyond the lower tapes and arranged to run in contact therewith, a plurality of endless chains arranged between said upper tapes and extending beyond said lower tapes, each of said chains being provided with a plurality of open ended hooks, means to run the chains in synchronism, means to run the tapes at a peripheral speed greater than that of the chains, so that sheets of paper transferred thereby are fed into the open ends of the moving hooks, said upper tapes being so related to said hook means as to keep the sheets of paper in engagement with the hook means, stop means arranged to intercept the leading edges of the sheets of paper in order to strip the same from the hooks in approximately superposed relation, and means to reciprocate the stop means in positive reduced relation to the movement of the sheets in order to stagger the sheets as an indication of their number.

34. In a device of the type described, means for cutting sheets from a traveling web, traveling fingers, a sheet-receiving platform having an open space extending adjacent the path of travel of said fingers, upper and lower tapes operable at a higher speed than said fingers for receiving sheets from said cutting means and for feeding one end of said sheets into said fingers, said lower tapes terminating short of said delivery platform and said upper tapes extending above said delivery platform adjacent said fingers, and means for releasing said sheets from said fingers above said platform.

IRVING GURWICK. 

